Inside The Numbers: Consistency And Inconsistency

Justus Reed, Virginia Tech
Justus Reed has been a consistent performer for Virginia Tech this season. (Virginia Tech sports photography)

Consistently inconsistent…that is how some perceive the Virginia Tech football program these days.  Today I want to talk about several individual players on the defensive side of the ball, point out their inconsistencies (or their consistency), and tell you why I think things are happening the way they are.

Consistency vs. Inconsistency

I told several people last week that I thought the Hokies were about to close the book on Brion Murray at cornerback.  They benched him after one drive against Liberty because he got burned on the out-and-up, and I figured they’d go in a different direction.  But he was right back in the starting lineup against Miami, and though that could be partially because Dorian Strong had spent much of the week sick with strep throat (along with Alan Tisdale), I was still surprised.  As it turned out, he played one of the best games of his career, arguably the best considering the level of competition. Here are Murray’s game-by-game numbers:

(At the far right is the defensive grade.  “TOT” is the total number of defense snaps, followed by snaps against the run, snaps rushing the passer, and snaps in coverage.)

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